Lunch in Granada is not a calm affair. At 3pm in Bodegas Castaneda, a crowded, old-school tapas bar, every inch of the cluttered bar counter is taken. Waiters shout orders and squeeze between standing diners, plates of rose-pink jamón serrano and sizzling croquetas held above their heads, beer taps flick back and forth, wedges of tortilla Española and golden calamari pass above chilled glasses of fino.
We’ve come to try the Calicasas – the Bodega’s infamous mix of vermouth, gin, rum, soda and spices – and sip it gingerly while tucking into a mountainous platter of jamón serrano and local cheeses. One glass apiece and we’ve adjusted to the volume and have a feeling we could settle in for the rest of the day. A second glass is tempting, but we can’t spare the time; with only two days in one of Spain’s most fascinating cities, there’s simply too much to see.
Granada is our third stop on the well-trodden path across the arid landscapes that lie between three of Spain’s most extraordinary cities. Few regions in Europe can lay claim to such a fascinating hinterland; the last stronghold of the Moors, Spain’s southernmost region was under Islamic rule from the early eighth century until Granada finally fell to the Catholic monarchs in 1492. What was left behind, across Seville, Córdoba and Granada, is an astonishingly rich legacy of palaces and mosques that gives an insight into the power of the Moors – and the scale of their reign.
The beauty of these three cities is that they are linked by fast train routes (no more than two hours), with another quick link down to Málaga, where we top and tail our trip with a night by the sea. It’s a vibrant city – rather like a Spanish mashup of Brighton and Nice, with an old town crammed with restaurants and a waterfront fringed with leafy, palm tree-dotted parks. It’s also a great introduction to Andalucía, but as we step off the train in Seville, it’s clear we’re somewhere very different from Málaga’s breezy, beachy charms.
One of Spain’s biggest draws, Seville’s maze of streets throngs with visitors, all heading in the same direction as us: towards the gargantuan cathedral, the largest Gothic church in the world. Legend has it that when the original plans were drawn up, the church elders pledged to build “a cathedral so beautiful and magnificent, those who see it finished will think we are mad”. Even 500 years later, the achievement is mind-blowing. Once inside, the only way to take in the vast space is to slowly turn 360 degrees, beneath the glorious vaulted ceiling that glows burnished gold, surrounded by 80 side chapels – many tall enough to house an ordinary church – dozens of statues and sculptures and the mesmerisingly vast retablo – the largest altarpiece in the world and entire life’s work of just one craftsman, Pierre Dancart.
In any other city, the cathedral would be the biggest draw, but Seville is also home to the Alcázar; a vast royal palace that holds 1,000 years of history, from its beginnings as a home for the Moorish caliph of Córdoba in the 10th century to one of Europe’s greatest Renaissance palaces and home of the Bourbon kings.
As we stroll through elegant courtyards, rich with Mudéjar design, past richly embroidered baroque tapestries and Renaissance works of art, it strikes me that everything in Andalucía is like a millefeuille of history: Catholic above Moorish, Romanesque then Renaissance, the ghosts of the Moors ever-present in every church and palace.
The Alcázar is spectacular, but it’s the gardens that triumph; explosions of hot-pink bougainvillaea, towering palms and fountains cooling the temperature as we walk.
Two days is not enough to explore Seville properly, but with only one night in Córdoba, we board the train early the next morning and disembark on to a wide boulevard that leads to the tangle of lanes that form the centro storico. Much smaller than Seville, it’s easy to navigate and we’ve barely checked into our hotel before we’re sitting with a cold cerveza on a narrow, whitewashed street – the centuries of history almost tangible in the air.
Perhaps it’s something to do with the Mezquita, the vast mosque that dominates the historical centre, built when Córdoba was the epicentre of Moorish rule. Walking inside is like stepping into a geometric maze of claret-striped archways, row after row, multiplying across the empty space. But nothing prepares you for the real surprise of the Mezquita; at its heart lies a complete Gothic cathedral, inserted on the orders of King Ferdinand II during the Reconquista, and considered a stronger show of Catholic domination than razing the mosque to the ground.
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By the time we reach Granada, it’s hard to imagine we’ll see anything more stunning, but the Alhambra proves us wrong, its patios and palaces flanked by glorious Arabesque stucco work and white marble terraces. There’s a tranquillity here, in spite of the tour groups and crowds of visitors.
Each city we visit is infused with a strong sense of its Moorish past, but it is Granada that appeals most, in no small part due to its large student population, which gives it a younger, more authentic feel, with tourism just a small part of what makes the city tick.
When we arrive back in Málaga, it feels as if we’ve been much further away than just a two-hour bus journey. We’ve returned instead from an opulent, unfamiliar kingdom, just as it once was.
A Trail of Three Cities with Inntravel (inn travel.co.uk) costs from £915pp, including six nights’ B&B and train travel in Spain